Better Roads

June 2014

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Better Roads June 2014 11
Applications & Innovations Applications Applications
A
recently completed project on the heavily traf-
fi cked I-94 between Minneapolis and St. Cloud,
Minnesota, provides an example of how one state
Department of Transportation (DOT) is fi nding ways to do
more with less. The Minnesota Department of Transportation
(MnDOT) used a variety of concrete repair techniques that
were staged in order to minimize disruption to the public,
maximizing longevity of the roadway as well as reducing the
cost and hassle experienced by taxpayers.
They also challenged several business-as-usual repair prac-
tices in order to optimize their results. In the end, MnDOT
achieved a high-performing surface on this stretch of I-94
during a four-year span using a variety of concrete pavement
restoration (CPR) techniques – and did so cost-effectively.
"Today, the public is not investing as much into our roads,
which means it is almost impossible to build or rebuild 65
miles of two-lane interstate in two years as was done when
this stretch of I-94 was originally constructed," says Dan
Frentress, a pavement preservation consultant to the Interna-
tional Grooving and Grinding Association (IGGA).
Frentress points out some pavement repair techniques that
have been used in the recent past have effective life-spans of
only eight or 10 years and the math doesn't add up: When
repairing short sections of interstate highways during a
number of years (as is usually done for budgetary reasons),
the earliest fi xes may be in need of repair again before the
later stage work has even begun.
"So new solutions have to be found – and they need to
vary in their expected design lives in order to avoid having
constant repair projects within a given stretch of roadway."
State DOTs are now tasked with fi nding solutions that last
at least 20 years. Fortunately, an array of new technologies
and techniques – ranging from state-of-the-art diagnostic
tools and heavy equipment to innovative fi eld procedures –
are enabling industry professionals to come up with creative
combinations of repair solutions. The I-94 corridor provided
a testing ground for many of these 21st century approaches
to road repair.
One state's journey with aging interstates
In 1973, the MnDOT began construction on a new section
of I-94 between Minneapolis and St. Cloud. MnDOT District
3 engineers used the footprint of the existing Highway 52
Corridor to build the new roadway, advertised at the time as
one of the few diagonal interstate highways in the country.
They constructed 65 miles of 24-foot wide, nine-inch thick
concrete pavement with 27-foot panels using skewed dow-
eled contraction joints and completed the project in 1974.
Using myraid concrete pavement restoration techniques, this state DOT minimized cost
and traffi c disruption while maximizing longevity and optimizing results.
Using myraid concrete pavement restoration techniques, this state DOT minimized cost
Minnesota's
New Solutions
for Aging Pavement
I-94 is completed with diamond
grinding on the westbound
lane. The eastbound lane was
experiencing typical Sunday
afternoon traffi c.
A&I_BR0614.indd 11 6/2/14 9:56 AM